tripod heads in town...

[raf2379]

Is there any store in Calgary that caries the Real Right Stuff BH-55 Ballhead??

whats everyone using what is your tripod/ballhead combo?

i'm looking to buy a really good setup next week. I'm sick and tired of my cheep tripod, it just does not do its job properly. I figure I might as well spend the money and get something good that will last me until probably the day i'm too old to carry it.

[Obscura]

from Really Right Stuffs website

What Won't Change:

Dedication to Product Innovation
Superior Craftsmanship
Speedy turn-around on orders
Selling direct to you; no middlemen
Real People answering phones during office hours



order the head direct from them.

[turboMiata]

i don't think anyone carries RRS in calgary. RRS makes really cool stuff but they are quite expensive. The Camera Store carries acratech which is the ferrari of ballheads. they are, naturally, uber expensive but once you try it out, you'll understand why one would pay such a premium. i'd recommend checking out the acratech ultimate or the new V2 as they are similarly priced to the bh-55.

another company that makes good ballheads is markin. good ballheads are worth the money if you plan to support heavy lenses.

i'm looking for a nice ballhead myself. what kind of load are you planning to support?

[smc]

I have 2 benro (www.benro.cn) ballheads (kj-0 and ks-1). They are a great value for the money, but you need to order them from overseas.

[raf2379]

the heaviest load so far is the 70-200mm VR. I didnt realize how heavy the lens acctualy is until I tried it out, but its a beautiful pice of equipment.

I'll go take a look at the acratech and markin ballheads on monday.

[smc]

I ordered mine from http://www.hkcarris.com/

[Obscura]

http://www.vistek.ca/details/results.aspx?q=benro

[turboMiata]

Originally posted by raf2379
the heaviest load so far is the 70-200mm VR. I didnt realize how heavy the lens acctualy is until I tried it out, but its a beautiful pice of equipment.

I'll go take a look at the acratech and markin ballheads on monday.

the acratech will more than handle that setup. it is designed for up to a 400mm f/2.8 with a full sized body. another one to look at is the manfroto with the hydrolock. price is pretty close to the the same range as the ultimate but i think the ultimate is smoother and better built.

you'll want to get a good set of legs too. Lint on this forum has a nice set of gitzo CF legs for sale at a really good price. i think it would pair really well with a nice ball head. if you have already invested so much money on a lens like the 70-200, there is little sense in buying cheap tripods that aren't sturdy and don't support the weight well. let us know what you end up with.

[raf2379]

thats the thing i do not want to stinge on a tripod setup i want something good. right now i'm looking at the Manfrotto Mag Fiber 055MF3 middle of the road tripod and the Gitzo G1327 Mountaineer Mk2 which is quite expansive but top quality.

I cant find Lint's post on the CF legs for sale, do u have a link by anychance? NVM just found the link post

[raf2379]

well I went to Vistek downtown today, and I found exactly what I was looking for. I got the Gitzo G1327 legs and i went with the Acratech V2 ballhead. I think this setup will do its job.

thanks for the sugestion on the Acratec V2 ballhead, its a nice pice.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by raf2379
well I went to Vistek downtown today, and I found exactly what I was looking for. I got the Gitzo G1327 legs and i went with the Acratech V2 ballhead. I think this setup will do its job.

thanks for the sugestion on the Acratec V2 ballhead, its a nice pice.

If you can still return it, go buy this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/PROFESSIONAL-CAMERA-TRIPOD-KIT-BALL-GRIP-HEAD-AT-858BL_W0QQitemZ200064651268QQihZ010QQcategoryZ30094QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

With a little looking around you can find it for $40USD and it is a copy of a $400 manfrotto. I looked at the manfrotto and I think the ball head on this cheap one is better. A few people on this forum have this one so you would easily be able to see one before you buy it if you want. For about 1/8 or even less the cost of the name brand stuff you can't beat it. I have yet to see a tripod in the stores that I think is better. Maybe the carbon fibre ones but I haven't seen any yet :D

At least give it a look.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

^The ebay ones are good value for money, but the stuff he bought is in a different league entirely. That Acratech ballhead is $400 for a reason. The Gitzo CF legs carry a lifetime warranty and cost around $500. There's really no comparison - the Dynatran may be inexpensive, but the Acratech/Gitzo can handle twice the weight and weighs half as much.

[turboMiata]

Sorry guys, I must admit that my experiences with Dynatran hasn't been positive. I bought the backdrop stands from them and have found them really sketchy and not up to the task. The supports are not stable and the crossbar deflects like mad. Any day now, the stands will tip over and hit someone.

I cannot recommend Dynatran for anything but the lightest use.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by BerserkerCatSplat
^The ebay ones are good value for money, but the stuff he bought is in a different league entirely. That Acratech ballhead is $400 for a reason. The Gitzo CF legs carry a lifetime warranty and cost around $500. There's really no comparison - the Dynatran may be inexpensive, but the Acratech/Gitzo can handle twice the weight and weighs half as much.


Oh wow I had no idea he was looking at $900 of equipment :eek:

I would expect for $900 it to be better.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

On a related note, for $400 I'd look into a Markins ballhead. They've got quite the following over at Nikonians - the $400 Markins U-M20 is rated to hold a staggering 45kg (100 lbs)!

https://www.photoproshop.com/usa/index.php/cPath/21

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by BerserkerCatSplat
On a related note, for $400 I'd look into a Markins ballhead. They've got quite the following over at Nikonians - the $400 Markins U-M20 is rated to hold a staggering 45kg (100 lbs)!

https://www.photoproshop.com/usa/index.php/cPath/21

Is there even a camera/lens combo that weighs 45 lbs? The 600mm canon prime only weighs 11.7lbs (according to canons website). Who would need 45 lb? Just curious.

[lint]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
Oh wow I had no idea he was looking at $900 of equipment :eek:

I would expect for $900 it to be better.

Just wondering what you mean by this? Better in what way?

Gitzo and Acratech are very well respected names, and if you ask anyone who owns them they will tell you that you're getting what you pay for. A $40 copy of a $400 tripod is $40 for a reason. The only knockoffs that seem to have very positive reviews are the Benros mentioned earlier in the thread.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by lint


Just wondering what you mean by this? Better in what way?

Gitzo and Acratech are very well respected names, and if you ask anyone who owns them they will tell you that you're getting what you pay for. A $40 copy of a $400 tripod is $40 for a reason. The only knockoffs that seem to have very positive reviews are the Benros mentioned earlier in the thread.

Sorry my post was not that clear. What I meant was that you guys are right, I'm sure for $900 it is quite a bit better than the $40 e-bay one. I had no idea you could even spent $900 on tripods, and it probably doesn't stop there.

[raf2379]

well I've put the tripod through its paces yesterday morning, I went out before sunrise and try to take some photos of downtown, I’ve posted the pic in the Januarys picture thread. I am very happy with it, its amazing the control and stability it has and for how beefy it looks it is very light. It was a lot of money like everything else in photography, but for me it was well work it. I'd recommend it to anyone who has the extra cash to spend on a nice set of legs and ballhead.

[lint]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt


Sorry my post was not that clear. What I meant was that you guys are right, I'm sure for $900 it is quite a bit better than the $40 e-bay one. I had no idea you could even spent $900 on tripods, and it probably doesn't stop there.

Ah, ok. Makes sense now. And yes, you can spend a ton of $$$ on tripods. Here's a good article by Thom Hogan
http://www.bythom.com/support.htm
I agree with most of what he says, but I think $1700 USD is a bit much. I like a happy medium, stability that won't break the bank.

[turboMiata]

good article, although he's a little extreme. however, it did make me second guess my combo now. makes me want to buy a V2 myself.